Dr. Tanja Van Veldhuizen

Biography

Tanja van Veldhuizen is an Assistant Professor specializing in Legal Psychology, Criminal Law, and Criminology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. She obtained her Bachelor of Science with honors in Social Psychology and a Master of Science in Social Health Psychology (research master) from Utrecht University. Additionally, she studied for a semester at the University of California, Berkeley, where she participated in courses on law and society, ethnic relations, and political philosophy. In September 2017, Tanja completed her PhD in Legal Psychology through the Erasmus Mundus Joint Doctorate program in collaboration with Maastricht University and the University of Gothenburg (Sweden). Before obtaining her PhD, she worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the Montaigne Centre for Rule of Law and Administration Justice at Utrecht University and contributed to a research project regarding undesirable behavior and social safety within the Dutch armed forces. From 2018 to 2020, she gained teaching experience as a lecturer in Criminology at Leiden University. In April 2020, she started her role as an Assistant Professor at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, where she teaches courses related to criminal investigations and proceedings in both Bachelor and Master programs. Tanja is a member of the Amsterdam Laboratory for Legal Psychology (ALLP), and her research interests encompass investigative interviewing, evidence assessment, and cross-cultural processes within legal contexts, utilizing both qualitative and quantitative (including experimental) research methods. Her dissertation focused on credibility assessments in European asylum procedures and she regularly presents lectures and workshops for practitioners involved in asylum law across various countries.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards